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couple things I did to save costs, sorry if all this is a day late/dollar short:

-I got an old (2005) kaplan practice CD for like $10. it worked fine. Honestly as long as the test CD is from the CAT era you're good, the questions are the same. No reason to overpay for the new 2008/9 version. same goes for TOEFL software.

-Lots of schools(especially state ones) will waive your app fee for a nominal excuse. It doesn't hurt to try, email under a pseudonym account asking 'is X a valid reason?' if you're worried about coming off as a BS'er

-As for the clothes/transportation you are all on your own. Couchsurfing.com can be pretty useful if you don't have any friends in the area.

App Fees: $250. Being a Teach for America teacher, all of the schools that I am applying to (Nine schools in all!) except Kellogg and HBS will waive your application fee. Applied to Kellogg in R1 and will apply to HBS in R2 (just didn't have the time to successfully complete the app during R1).

GMAT: $250

GMAT Prep Books: $70ish. Bought the big orange book and a fairly useless as it turned out Kaplan book.

Application Advice book: $30. This one I probably could have also done without.

Sending GMAT data to schools: 5x$28 = $140

Gifts for my two recommenders: $80 (wonkish book on politics for one recommender and two tickets to indie rock band on the Lower East Side for the other).

New Suit + Nice Dress Shirt: $340 + $50 = $390 (Got the suit on a 30% off coupon from Banana Republic. Found a minor stain (that could easily be dry cleaned out) of the shirt for $10 off...yes, I'm that cheap).

Not that this is the right thread for this, but I think I've spent far more on personal capital. Although my girlfriend is not surprised anymore when I ask "Do you want to..." and it ends in "...read this essay?" rather than "...take a walk/grab a drink/go to dinner?"

Prep materials: $500 - paper tests + tons of books (OG11, 12, OGV1, GV2, OGQ1, OGQ2, kaplan 09, kaplan 10, mgmat set, and others) got deals on most of them though. $500 - Exam costs. I cancelled my 1st exam (cost me $250) and rescheduled for this April 2010 ($250)$4 School visit - I took the train there and back $125 - application fee to the only school I am applying to-------------------------------------------------------$1129 total thus far. I don't see the number getting any higher.

Daaaaaaaamn, yo. Way to make me look stingy! May I ask what genre of gifts you selected? (Booze, tickets, jewelry, gift certificate, etc?) I love my recommenders (well, two of them, anyway) but I can't imagine topping $100.

Daaaaaaaamn, yo. Way to make me look stingy! May I ask what genre of gifts you selected? (Booze, tickets, jewelry, gift certificate, etc?) I love my recommenders (well, two of them, anyway) but I can't imagine topping $100.

I thought it was appropriate. I know their schedules and how little time they have, so it was a big gesture from them all... my manager did 7 recs for me, another person did 5 (while starting a new job), and one did 3 (however - she did them for me in the month leading up to her having a baby). I went gift certificates all the way. All 3 are women. 1 is a big golfer, so I got a gift cert to a highly rated golf course near her. The other two I got gift certs to a spa recommended by some co-workers.

Of course, I think it's the gesture that counts. I've been saving a while now for this process so I did try to step it up for them.

Agreed... I went on the high end as well. I got wine for each. I did however scale the value depending on how many recs/how busy they are/how much personal equity I had to withdraw. I figure I'm throwing so much money into this application process (before even getting to school) that I should really properly thank the people who have spent many, many hours to help me get there.

I also really enjoy getting excellent bottles of wine as gifts.

swank6 wrote:

Aenigma wrote:

Daaaaaaaamn, yo. Way to make me look stingy! May I ask what genre of gifts you selected? (Booze, tickets, jewelry, gift certificate, etc?) I love my recommenders (well, two of them, anyway) but I can't imagine topping $100.

I thought it was appropriate. I know their schedules and how little time they have, so it was a big gesture from them all... my manager did 7 recs for me, another person did 5 (while starting a new job), and one did 3 (however - she did them for me in the month leading up to her having a baby). I went gift certificates all the way. All 3 are women. 1 is a big golfer, so I got a gift cert to a highly rated golf course near her. The other two I got gift certs to a spa recommended by some co-workers.

Of course, I think it's the gesture that counts. I've been saving a while now for this process so I did try to step it up for them.